Marcia Ishii-Eiteman's bloghttp://www.panna.org/blogs/marcia-ishii-eiteman
enThe "Big 6" drifting to a farm near youhttp://www.panna.org/blog/big-6-drifting-farm-near-you
<a href="/blog/big-6-drifting-farm-near-you"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/corn-spray-tractor.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/big-6-drifting-farm-near-you"></a><p></p>
<p>Two weeks ago, I was speaking to a roomful of specialty crop growers and organic farmers from Indiana. They were concerned about the pesticide drift that is expected to accompany the planting of Dow and Monsanto&rsquo;s new herbicide-resistant corn and soybean seeds this spring. Presenting alongside me was Anita Poeppel of Broadbranch Farms, a family-owned and operated farm in north central Illinois.</p>
<p>Anita shared a message with her fellow growers: We need to be ready. If USDA allows these new GE seeds &mdash; that&rsquo;ve been designed to be sprayed with highly toxic, drift-prone herbicides &mdash; onto the market, we are all going to be in a lot of trouble.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/big-6-drifting-farm-near-you" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/big-6-drifting-farm-near-you#comments2,4-D Campaign24-DagriculturedicambaDowGEGMOsMonsantoWed, 21 Jan 2015 21:49:44 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman3138 at http://www.panna.orgAgroecological farming — better than everhttp://www.panna.org/blog/agroecological-farming-for-the-win
<a href="/blog/agroecological-farming-for-the-win"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/agroecology-no-till.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/agroecological-farming-for-the-win"></a><p></p>
<p>Organic farmers who use agroecological practices build healthy soil, conserve water, protect pollinators and keep the air and water clear of harmful pesticides. We owe them thanks for this. They also produce bountiful crops.</p>
<p>Yesterday, these hard-working farmers received an important boost of recognition from the scientific community with the <a href="https://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2014/12/09/organic-conventional-farming-yield-gap/">release</a> of findings from a major new study comparing the productivity of organic and conventional farming.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/agroecological-farming-for-the-win" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/agroecological-farming-for-the-win#commentsFood & Agricultureagroecologyorganic agricultureorganic farmingThu, 11 Dec 2014 01:08:14 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman3114 at http://www.panna.orgReal solutions this World Food Dayhttp://www.panna.org/blog/real-solutions-world-food-day
<a href="/blog/real-solutions-world-food-day"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/woman-farmer_0.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/real-solutions-world-food-day"></a><p>Today is <a href="http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/">World Food Day</a> and around the world communities are taking a stand against hunger. But the solutions put forward differ dramatically depending on what one understands the &ldquo;food problem&rdquo; to be. For many, every day is World Food Day and presents both the necessity and opportunity to fight for farm and food justice; for them it is a matter of integrity and survival. Theirs (and ours) is a fight for <a href="http://usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org/what-is-food-sovereignty/">food sovereignty</a>, tackling the problems of hunger and our inequitable, imbalanced food system at their source.</p>
<p>For others, the Monsantos of the world, this day marks an opportunity to further push false, pesticide-dependent solutions to real problems. But <a href="http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/food-democracy">democratizing our food system</a> is the most powerful way I know to solve the <a href="http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/feeding-the-world">underlying problems</a> that World Food Day highlights &mdash; and people around the world are coming together to make it happen.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/real-solutions-world-food-day" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/real-solutions-world-food-day#commentsFood & AgricultureAfricaagricultureagroecologyfood sovereigntyThu, 16 Oct 2014 22:12:36 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman3073 at http://www.panna.orgAgroecology takes center stage in Romehttp://www.panna.org/blog/agroecology-takes-center-stage-rome
<a href="/blog/agroecology-takes-center-stage-rome"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/agroecology-conference-rome.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/agroecology-takes-center-stage-rome"></a><p>Walking past the ancient Roman Coliseum on my way to the recent <a href="http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/afns/en/">International Symposium on Agroecology</a>, the surprising twists of history were on my mind. Even a few years ago, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization &mdash; host of the symposium &mdash; would never have organized such a meeting. &ldquo;<a href="http://www.panna.org/science/agroecology">Agroecology</a>&rdquo; was considered far too radical and dangerous a concept to many in FAO who had dedicated long careers to exporting the chemical-intensive &ldquo;Green Revolution&rdquo; model of agriculture around the world.</p>
<p>Yet there I was, along with 400 other scientists, agri-food system researchers, farmers and social movement leaders, commencing an intensive two-day exchange of agroecological knowledge, science and practice in the heart of Rome.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/agroecology-takes-center-stage-rome" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/agroecology-takes-center-stage-rome#commentsFood & AgricultureagroecologyFAOTue, 30 Sep 2014 15:52:15 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman3052 at http://www.panna.orgScience academy falters in launch of new GE studyhttp://www.panna.org/blog/science-academy-falters-launch-new-ge-study
<a href="/blog/science-academy-falters-launch-new-ge-study"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/GE-study-Pioneer_maize_.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/science-academy-falters-launch-new-ge-study"></a><p>One morning a few weeks ago, I received an email from the National Academy of Sciences&rsquo; National Research Council (NRC), announcing the makeup of a provisional <a href="http://nas-sites.org/ge-crops/category/committee/">committee</a> of experts that has been tasked with carrying out a comprehensive new <a href="http://nas-sites.org/ge-crops/">study</a> of GE crops. This study is supposed to assess the history of GE crops around the world, the diverse experiences of farmers in different countries and a wide range of &ldquo;purported&rdquo; negative and positive impacts of GE seeds and their associated technologies (for example, pesticides).</p>
<p>Done right, this could be an illuminating investigation, right? But as I looked over the bios provided on NRC&rsquo;s webpage, I quickly realized that the Council appears to have a pretty poor idea of how to carry out such a challenging, complex and multi-faceted study. In fact, this week 67 scientists and researchers publicly <a href="http://www.panna.org/scientists-challenge-makeup-panel-meant-evaluate-gmo-risks">rebuked</a> the NRC for failing, right at the outset, to put together a slate of experts equipped for the task (full letter <a href="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/NRC%20GE%20Study%20Letter.pdf">here</a>).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/science-academy-falters-launch-new-ge-study" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/science-academy-falters-launch-new-ge-study#commentsFood & AgricultureagricultureGEgenetic engineeringThu, 07 Aug 2014 22:51:35 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman3003 at http://www.panna.orgWhen Dow pushes, agencies jumphttp://www.panna.org/blog/when-dow-pushes-agencies-jump
<a href="/blog/when-dow-pushes-agencies-jump"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/GT_corn-spray-600x400.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/when-dow-pushes-agencies-jump"></a><p>&ldquo;This pesticide is toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Do not apply directly to water&hellip; Drift or runoff may be hazardous&hellip;.The use of this chemical&hellip;may result in groundwater contamination.&rdquo; Does this sound like a green chemical of the future, something that you&rsquo;d want drifting over fields, rivers, streams, schools and homes? Not so much. But our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may disagree.</p>
<p>EPA has been stumbling hard and making some <a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/epa-does-not-catch-drift" rel="nofollow">bad decisions</a> lately, including this latest announcement: the agency intends to approve Dow AgroScience&rsquo;s new formulation of the highly toxic herbicide, 2,4-D &mdash; to be used with the corporation&rsquo;s genetically engineered (GE) 2,4-D resistant corn, cotton and soybean seeds.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/when-dow-pushes-agencies-jump" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/when-dow-pushes-agencies-jump#comments2,4-D CampaignagricultureEPAGE pipelinegenetic engineeringThu, 15 May 2014 21:56:23 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman2925 at http://www.panna.orgCultivating resilience to feed the worldhttp://www.panna.org/blog/cultivating-resilience-feed-world
<a href="/blog/cultivating-resilience-feed-world"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/food-democracy-market-diversity-300.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/cultivating-resilience-feed-world"></a><p>Crazy weather we&rsquo;ve been having this winter: monster snowstorms across New England, record-breaking freezes in the Midwest, drought, wildfires (in January!) and weirdly hot days in California. For many farmers across the country and around the world, all this extreme weather &mdash; on top of ever-intensifying environmental and economic stresses &mdash; is pushing them to their edge.</p>
<p>At the same time, a growing number of farmers and scientists are realizing that 1) continued reliance on the energy, water and chemical-intensive industrial model of agriculture is simply <a href="http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/industrial-agriculture">no longer an option</a> and 2) our most robust response to today&rsquo;s converging stresses lies in cultivating <em>resilience</em> and <em>food democracy</em>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/cultivating-resilience-feed-world" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/cultivating-resilience-feed-world#commentsFood & Agricultureagroecologyfood democracyThu, 20 Mar 2014 09:48:58 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman2876 at http://www.panna.orgUSDA greenlights Dow’s 2,4-D seedshttp://www.panna.org/blog/usda-greenlights-new-GE-seeds
<a href="/blog/usda-greenlights-new-GE-seeds"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/cornfield_sky-300.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/usda-greenlights-new-GE-seeds"></a><p></p>
<p>Last Friday, USDA welcomed in the new year by presenting Dow AgroSciences with a bountiful gift: a virtual green light for the pesticide company&rsquo;s new genetically engineered (GE) corn and soybean seeds. These crops are designed specifically to be used with Dow&rsquo;s infamous herbicide, 2,4-D.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Dow has been waiting two years for the go-ahead from USDA to start marketing its 2,4-D-resistant corn and soy. And it now appears the corporation will get what it wants, despite strong opposition from farmers, healthcare professionals and concerned communities across the country.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/usda-greenlights-new-GE-seeds" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/usda-greenlights-new-GE-seeds#comments2,4-D CampaignDowgenetic engineeringMonsantoThu, 09 Jan 2014 20:19:45 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman2808 at http://www.panna.org"Golden Rice" not so goldenhttp://www.panna.org/blog/golden-rice-not-so-golden
<a href="/blog/golden-rice-not-so-golden"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/have-a-good-harvest-rice-istock.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/golden-rice-not-so-golden"></a><p>Last month, a few news outlets carried a story about Filipino farmers trampling a test plot of genetically engineered (GE) &ldquo;Golden Rice.&rdquo; The news triggered a swift avalanche of more stories and opinion pieces, with ample space devoted to Golden Rice proponents&rsquo; harsh accusation that skeptics and critics are holding back a desperately needed, promising technology and, in so doing, are causing children&rsquo;s deaths around the world.</p>
<p>We&rsquo;ve seen all this before: both the promises that ultimately fail to deliver, and the attempts to silence those asking important questions. Why, after 30 years of research and millions of dollars poured into development of this supposed miracle seed, are we still talking about Golden Rice?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/golden-rice-not-so-golden" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/golden-rice-not-so-golden#commentsFood & AgricultureGEgenetic engineeringGolden RiceFri, 06 Sep 2013 06:01:44 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman2718 at http://www.panna.orgMonsanto's new GE crops already in the ground?http://www.panna.org/blog/monsantos-new-ge-crops-already-ground
<a href="/blog/monsantos-new-ge-crops-already-ground"><img src="http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/user1/GT_sadfarmer.jpg" alt="" title="" width="150" height="150" class="teaserthumbnail" align="left"/></a><a href="/blog/monsantos-new-ge-crops-already-ground"></a><p>Early in July, Monsanto rolled out the red carpet for farm media in North Dakota, promoting its new, yet highly controversial, herbicide-resistant genetically engineered (GE) seeds. Touted at an industry <a href="http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/407144/">field day</a> in Cass County, these new soybean seeds are designed to be used with the volatile herbicide, <a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/monsantos-endless-pipeline-bad-ideas">dicamba</a> &mdash; a close cousin of 2,4-D.</p>
<p>Dicamba-resistant soy is still awaiting USDA approval, as are <a href="http://www.panna.org/current-campaigns/24D">2,4-D-resistant</a> corn and soy. And after receiving hundreds of thousands of comments opposing the approval of these crops, the agency recently extended its decision-making timeline. Despite the outcry, however, Monsanto has plowed full speed ahead, planting and spraying these crops in large, field-sized &ldquo;Ground-Breaker&rdquo; demonstration plots in North and South Dakota and in research plots in undisclosed locations.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.panna.org/blog/monsantos-new-ge-crops-already-ground" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.panna.org/blog/monsantos-new-ge-crops-already-ground#commentsFood & AgricultureFarmersGEgenetic engineeringMonsantoThu, 08 Aug 2013 23:44:27 +0000Marcia Ishii-Eiteman2696 at http://www.panna.org